Professor Roland Bleiker
Professor

Roland Bleiker

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 51068

Background

Roland is Professor of International Relations and Coordinator of the Visual Politics Research Program. His research explores how images and emotions shape political phenomena, including humanitarianism, security, peacebuilding, protest movements and the conflict in Korea. Books include Visual Global Politics (Routledge, 2018); Aesthetics and World Politics (Palgrave, 2009/2012); Divided Korea: Toward a Culture of Reconciliation (University of Minnesota Press, 2005/2008) and Popular Dissent, Human Agency and Global Politics (CUP, 2000).

Roland’s main current research project is an interdisciplinary ARC Linkage collaboration (2022-2026) on The Politics and Ethics of Visualising Humanitarian Crises. The project involves eight researchers and the World Press Photo Foundation, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Australian Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières.

Roland grew up in Zürich, Switzerland, where he was educated and worked as a lawyer. He studied international relations in Paris, Seoul, Toronto, Vancouver and Canberra. Roland also worked for two years in a Swiss diplomatic mission in the Korean DMZ and held visiting affiliations at Harvard, Cambridge, Humboldt, Tampere, Yonsei and Pusan National University as well as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. He is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Further informatin can be found on Roland''s personal website:

For an in-person or zoom appointment book here: https://calendly.com/bleiker

Selection of Recent Publications

“Decolonising Affect" Cooperation and Conflict (2024)

“Un-Disciplining the International” Alternatives: Local, Global, Political (2023)

"Visualizing International Relations” Journal of Visual Political Communication, 10,(2023

"Visual Violence" Interview with Brad Evans, Los Angeles Review of Books, 3 Jan 2022.

Availability

Professor Roland Bleiker is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Government and politics of Asia and the Pacific Human Society International relations Language, Communication and Culture Political science

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Arts, University of Toronto
  • Masters (Coursework), The University of British Columbia
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Australian National University

Research interests

  • International Relations: Visual Politics and Emotions

    Theories of International Relations. How images and emotions shape political phenomena, including security, diplomacy and humanitarian crises.

  • Peace and Conflict Studies

    Conflict resolution in societies divided by trauma. Transnational social movements and the conceptualisation of political change. Art and literature as sources of political transformation.

  • Politics and Security in Korea

    Security and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula, including policy-relevant debates.

Research impacts

Much of my work has revolved around combining theory and practice. I embark on conceptual inquires to rethink entrenched political dillemas. At the moment my main practice-oriented reserach is a four year collaborative project on The Politics and Ethics of Visualising Humanitarian Crises. Funded through an ARC Linkage Grant (2022-2025) this project aims to draw on the power of images to transform practices and policies of aid. In particular, the project develops – and tests - alternative visual strategies that depict humanitarian crises in ways that encourage compassion for victims without entrenching problematic stereotypes. We work with four prominent Partner Organisations that are at the forefront of humanitarian and photojournalistic work: The World Press Photo Foundation, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Australian Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières. The project team consists of myself and five other Chief Investigators: A/Prof Emma Hutchison, from the School of Political Science and International Studies; Prof Matthew Hornsey and Dr Cassandra Chapman from the UQ Business School, as well as A/Prof Sana Nakata from the University of Melbourne and Prof Bina D’Costa from the Australian National University. Involved as well are two Partner Investigators: Prof Fiona Terry, Head of Research at the ICRC, and Prof David Campbell, formerly Director of Communication at World Press Photo and now with The VII Foundation.

Search Professor Roland Bleiker’s works on UQ eSpace

195 works between 1993 and 2025
All (195) Journal Article (100) Book Chapter (79) Conference Publication (3) Book (8) Other Outputs (2) Edited Outputs (3)

41 - 60 of 195 works

2016

Book Chapter

Arts and theatre for peacebuilding

Premaratna, Nilanjana and Bleiker, Roland (2016). Arts and theatre for peacebuilding. The Palgrave Handbook of Disciplinary and Regional Approaches to Peace. (pp. 82-94) edited by Oliver P. Richmond, Sandra Pogodda and Jasmin Ramović. Hampshire, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-1-137-40761-0_7

Arts and theatre for peacebuilding

2016

Journal Article

Visuality and creativity in global politics: in memory of Alex Danchev

Bleiker, Roland (2016). Visuality and creativity in global politics: in memory of Alex Danchev. New Perspectives, 24 (2), 13-22. doi: 10.1177/2336825x1602400202

Visuality and creativity in global politics: in memory of Alex Danchev

2015

Journal Article

Pluralist methods for visual global politics

Bleiker, Roland (2015). Pluralist methods for visual global politics. Millennium-Journal of International Studies, 43 (3), 872-890. doi: 10.1177/0305829815583084

Pluralist methods for visual global politics

2015

Book Chapter

Popular culture and political identity

Duncombe, Constance and Bleiker, Roland (2015). Popular culture and political identity. Popular culture and world politics: theories, methods, pedagogies. (pp. 35-44) edited by Federica Caso and Caitlin Hamilton. Bristol, United Kingdom: E-International Relations.

Popular culture and political identity

2015

Book Chapter

Grief and the transformation of emotions after war

Hutchison, Emma and Bleiker, Roland (2015). Grief and the transformation of emotions after war. Emotions, politics and war. (pp. 210-221) edited by Linda Åhäll and Thomas Gregory. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge.

Grief and the transformation of emotions after war

2014

Journal Article

Theorizing emotions in world politics

Hutchison, Emma and Bleiker, Roland (2014). Theorizing emotions in world politics. International Theory, 6 (3), 491-514. doi: 10.1017/S1752971914000232

Theorizing emotions in world politics

2014

Journal Article

Introduction: emotions and world politics

Bleiker, Roland and Hutchison, Emma (2014). Introduction: emotions and world politics. International Theory, 6 (3), 490-491. doi: 10.1017/S1752971914000220

Introduction: emotions and world politics

2014

Journal Article

North Korea in transition: politics, economy, and society

Bleiker, Roland (2014). North Korea in transition: politics, economy, and society. International Affairs, 90 (4), 1001-1002.

North Korea in transition: politics, economy, and society

2014

Journal Article

De-bordering Korea: Tangible and Intangible Legacies of the Sunshine Policy

Bleiker, Roland (2014). De-bordering Korea: Tangible and Intangible Legacies of the Sunshine Policy. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 68 (2), 243-244. doi: 10.1080/10357718.2013.866188

De-bordering Korea: Tangible and Intangible Legacies of the Sunshine Policy

2014

Book Chapter

Performing political apologies

Wilson, Erin and Bleiker, Roland (2014). Performing political apologies. Memory and trauma in international relations: theory, cases, debates. (pp. 42-56) edited by Erica Resende and Doville Budryte. New York, NY, United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315882659

Performing political apologies

2014

Journal Article

Visual cultures of inhospitality

Bleiker, Roland, Campbell, David and Hutchison, Emma (2014). Visual cultures of inhospitality. Peace Review, 26 (2), 192-200. doi: 10.1080/10402659.2014.906884

Visual cultures of inhospitality

2014

Journal Article

Authenticity and deception in an age of visual wearables

Bleiker, Roland (2014). Authenticity and deception in an age of visual wearables. IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, 33 (2) 6824348, 26-27. doi: 10.1109/MTS.2014.2319895

Authenticity and deception in an age of visual wearables

2014

Book Chapter

Art, aesthetics and emotionality

Hutchison, Emma and Bleiker, Roland (2014). Art, aesthetics and emotionality. Gender matters in global politics: a feminist introduction to international relations. (pp. 349-360) edited by Laura J. Shepherd. London, United Kingdom: Taylor and Francis.

Art, aesthetics and emotionality

2014

Book Chapter

Visual assemblages: from causality to conditions of possibility

Bleiker, Roland (2014). Visual assemblages: from causality to conditions of possibility. Reassembling International Theory: Assemblage Thinking and International Relations. (pp. 75-81) edited by Michele Acuto and Simon Curtis. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/9781137383969.0014

Visual assemblages: from causality to conditions of possibility

2014

Book Chapter

Can we move beyond conflict?

Bleiker, Roland (2014). Can we move beyond conflict?. Global politics: a new introduction. (pp. 564-589) edited by Jenny Edkins and Maja Zehfuss. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routedge.

Can we move beyond conflict?

2014

Book Chapter

Imaging catastrophe: the politics of representing humanitarian crises

Hutchison, Emma, Bleiker, Roland and Campbell, David (2014). Imaging catastrophe: the politics of representing humanitarian crises. Negotiating relief: the politics of humanitarian space. (pp. 47-58) edited by Michele Acuto. London, United Kingdom: Hurst & Co Publishers.

Imaging catastrophe: the politics of representing humanitarian crises

2013

Journal Article

The Visual Dehumanisation of Refugees

Bleiker, Roland, Campbell, David, Hutchison, Emma and Nicholson, Xzarina (2013). The Visual Dehumanisation of Refugees. Australian Journal of Political Science, 48 (3), 398-416. doi: 10.1080/10361146.2013.840769

The Visual Dehumanisation of Refugees

2013

Journal Article

Gedanken zur Entwicklung der sicherheitspolitischen Lage in Korea

Bleiker, Roland (2013). Gedanken zur Entwicklung der sicherheitspolitischen Lage in Korea. Allgemeine Schweizerische Militärzeitschrift, 178 (July), 18-20.

Gedanken zur Entwicklung der sicherheitspolitischen Lage in Korea

2013

Book Chapter

Representing HIV/AIDS in Africa: pluralist photography and local empowerment

Bleiker, Roland and Kay, Amy (2013). Representing HIV/AIDS in Africa: pluralist photography and local empowerment. HIV in world cultures: three decades of representations. (pp. 169-202) edited by Gustavo Subero. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315586939

Representing HIV/AIDS in Africa: pluralist photography and local empowerment

2013

Book Chapter

Reconciliation

Bleiker, Roland and Hutchison, Emma (2013). Reconciliation. The Routledge handbook of peacebuilding. (pp. 81-90) edited by Roger Mac Ginty. Abington, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge.

Reconciliation

Current funding

  • 2022 - 2026
    Visualising humanitarian crises: transforming images and aid policy
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2028
    Developing UQ as a central hub for nurturing the next generation of Korean Studies education, research and regional cooperation for Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia
    The Academy of Korean Studies
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2011 - 2014
    How Images Shape Responses to Humanitarian Crises
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011
    UQ Travel Awards Category 1 - Dr James Brassett
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2011
    UQ Travel Awards Category 1 - Prof Iver B Neumann
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2010
    UQ Travel Awards Category 1, David Campbell
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2007
    Mediating Across Difference: Asian and Oceanic Approaches to Security and Conflict
    The Japan Foundation, Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2005
    Towards an Aesthetics of Peace at at Time of War: Alternative Understandings and Responses to Global Terrorism
    University of Queensland Research Development Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2001 - 2002
    From Confrontation to Cooperation in Korea: The Role of Identity in the Formation of Security Policy
    United States Institute of Peace
    Open grant
  • 1999
    Rethinking security and ethics in divided nations.
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Roland Bleiker is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Picturing climate migration: critiquing the visual discourse

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Karen McNamara

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Feeling Nation-States: Emotions and Belonging in the Making of Postcolonial Nation-States

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Heloise Weber

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Political Power of Cinema: Historical Trauma and Transitional Justice in East and Southeast Asia

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Picturing climate migration: critiquing the visual discourse

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Karen McNamara

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Visualising Sri Lanka's Humanitarian Crises

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Intractable Conflict and Self-Sacrifice in Interpersonal Mediation

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Morgan Brigg

  • Master Philosophy

    Self-Sacrifice and Intractable Conflict

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Morgan Brigg

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Climate Change and Security in France

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Matt McDonald

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Climate Change and Security in France

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Matt McDonald

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Climate Change and Security in France

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Matt McDonald

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Roland Bleiker directly for media enquiries about:

  • Anti-globalisation critique
  • International relations and security
  • Korea - peace and security
  • New social movements
  • Peace and conflict issues
  • Peace and conflict studies
  • Peace and security in Korea

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